BIOGRAPHY:

Lauren Rotante is a Pittsburgh and Anchorage based Director and Choreographer working in musical theatre and devised plays. Her work brings to life the authenticity of humanity through movement, dance, and music.

Lauren's work has been seen across the United States and around the world. She has directed productions with the Pittsburgh Playhouse (Pennsylvania), Alaska Theatre of Youth (Alaska), Colgan Center for Fine and Performing Arts (Virginia), Brown Bag Theatre (California), and internationally with Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre (Brisbane, Australia). 

As a director and/or choreographer of Musical Theatre, Lauren has worked in professional settings assisting established directors; Tomè Cousin, Mara Newbery Greer, and Todd Underwood.  Her own work has been seen in licensed musicals (Ride the Cyclone, Pittsburgh Playhouse) and original works (How to be a Heartbreaker: Marina and the Diamonds Musical, Pittsburgh Playhouse).  Lauren began her musical career in the National Tour of Billy Elliot (Ballet Girl/Dance Captain) and has continued creating and developing Musical Theatre ever since.

Lauren also has a developed career in devised/experimental theatre. She has studied with several experimental companies including: Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre (Brisbane, Australia), Dairakudakan Temputenshiki (Hakuba, Japan), Pillow Project (Pittsburgh, PA), Point Park University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), Colgan Center for Fine and Performing Arts (Manassas, VA). She has experience in Butoh Dance, the Suzuki Method of Actor Training, Viewpoints, and Devised Theatre techniques. Several of her devised works have been produced for adults and children's theatre, introducing a wide-array of audiences to the world of ensemble collaboration. 

An award-winning director/choreographer, Lauren recieved the 2025 Region 2 Directing fellowship with the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. She recieved national recognition for her choreographic work from the National Honors Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA Artistic Merit 2021)  and has had her work featured in Fringe Festivals, Art Galleries (“Aural” Wick Monet 2023) and more.

Her work plays with the line between theatre and dance creating movement based story telling devised with an ensemble. Audience members leave her works seeing an insight into the human experience and what life means to the ensemble. 

Lauren is in her graduating year  at Point Park University pursuing a BFA in Theatre Arts - Directing Concentration with a Dance Minor. She was the 2022 Outstanding Theatre Student during her time there.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

KCACTF 2025 Stage Director and Choreographer Region 2 Fellow

Recipient of the 2024 Career Opportunity Grant from Alaska State Council on the Arts

Best Choreography: Pittsburgh Fringe Festival

KCACTF 2024 Stage Director and Choreographer Region 2 Finalist 

2022 Outstanding Theatre Student: Point Park University 

National Honors Society for Dance Arts: 2021 Artistic Merit National Finalist

ARTISTIC STATEMENT:

As an artist, I create captivating movement and dance in commercial musical theatre and devised plays. My work utilizes the personal experiences of the artists involved to create pieces that are authentic of the human experience. I want audiences to leave my work with gratitude for the world around them. As a leader behind-the-table, I aim to uplift and actors and designers and create a platform for artists to reach their fullest potential.